Town officials on Wednesday night voted unanimously to support an effort designed to change the structure of the New Canaan Police Department’s command staff.
Currently, NCPD has a chief and two captains at the top. Police Chief Leon Krolikowski during the Police Commission’s regular meeting recommended that the agency’s general orders preserve that structure as an option, but change the command staff for now to a police chief with a deputy chief and captain.
Asked whether change would come with a pay increase, Krolikowski said only that it would represent a promotion in rank.
“We do have a history—probably 40 years ago, we had the deputy chief as part of the complement,” he said at the meeting, held in the training room at NCPD. “And the captain’s responsibilities are very distinct. One is responsible for dozens of folks and the other is responsible for several. So the responsibilities are a lot different. That is a little bit of why I’m making that distinction.”
Members of the Police Commission—Chairman Stuart Sawabini, Sperry DeCew and Paul Foley—voted 3-0 to allow Krolikowski to propose a change to a general order of the department for the group’s future review and approval. Foley said he supported the change though in the past he hasn’t seen a need for it.
Krolikowski said he would like to leave the chief-captain-captain structure as an option within NCPD policies, “so depending on what our circumstances are, where are department is at,” it can switch from one command staff model to another.
“Certainly 20 years from now it may make sense to have a chief and two captains, depending on their experience levels, but right now I think we might be at a point where it makes sense for a chief, captain and deputy chief,” he said.
The commission ultimately would make a decision on whether to approve a member of NCPD for a promotion to deputy chief, at the recommendation of the chief, officials said.
NCPD’s command staff currently includes Capt. John DiFederico and Capt. Andrew Walsh, promoted in October 2016.